Pokemon Shield

 Switch
User Score
4.7

Generally unfavorable reviews- based on 3465 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1,154 out of 3465
  2. Mixed: 587 out of 3465
  3. Negative: 1,724 out of 3465
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  1. Ghostvine
    Nov 16, 2019
    2
    The game has poor graphics, and feels shallow not much story or depth. Was excited to explore the wild area, but was really upset with the force badge collection to catch high level pokemon.
  2. Jkfudge
    Nov 16, 2019
    10
    It’s a wonderful game, and a lot of the people giving bad reviews have not finished the game, and went on to this site straight away because they didn’t like things announced before it was even released, I recommend you give this a genuine try before forming an opinion
  3. rogene13
    Nov 16, 2019
    4
    The game feels rushed. The story is mediocre and short. There are almost no sidequests. The map feels empty. There are no voice acting even on cut scenes. The music is annoying most of the time. Graphics are outdated and it looks worse in the wild area, Almost half of pokemon and dozens of moves are missing from previous games yet they charge $60 for this.
  4. DavoNZ
    Nov 16, 2019
    0
    Such poor quality despite funds clearly not being an issue...this is Pokemon after all. Haven't seen pop-in this bad or textures this bad since the Wii
  5. Gsyrek10
    Nov 16, 2019
    10
    I have never had so much fun playing a Pokémon game, the amount of time you can spend doing literally whatever you want without even following the story is amazing. So much freedom and so much variety to how you can do it!
  6. Kingmercyles
    Nov 16, 2019
    10
    One of the best pokemon game I ever played, great job game freak, I'm sure there is more to discover
  7. zzzelkova
    Nov 16, 2019
    0
    I ignored the controversy and gave this game the benefit of the doubt and boy did I pay for that blind ignorance this game bricked our Roku because it is so poorly optimized, I have to put my switch on airplane mode while playing Pokemon specifically so my family can watch TV. Nintendo should pass this game to a different developer in the future,
  8. LokiWhite
    Nov 16, 2019
    9
    It's a polished Pokemon game. That makes it an 8 already. Those giving low scores are doing so because it isn't vastly improved on the others, so are judging by a lack of increase in quality rather than the quality that was already there. It's based off of disappointment and lack of delivery of potential not a poor delivery of what IS there. This isn't extraordinarily revolutionary, butIt's a polished Pokemon game. That makes it an 8 already. Those giving low scores are doing so because it isn't vastly improved on the others, so are judging by a lack of increase in quality rather than the quality that was already there. It's based off of disappointment and lack of delivery of potential not a poor delivery of what IS there. This isn't extraordinarily revolutionary, but it's a Pokemon and a good one at that. They tried some new things which I enjoy, which gives it the bonus point. I would have wished for more innovation which is why it misses anything higher. I'm playing it, I'm loving it, what else do I need?… Expand
  9. GeekFrank
    Nov 16, 2019
    0
    After removing all the Pokemon I love, there isn't much you get to replace them. Less content, and just a cheap way to change the meta. I was hoping so much more from this "real" Pokemon game after Pokemon Lets Go, and I'm really disappointed.

    Bare bones game that got pushed out just because Nintendo needed something for Christmas.
  10. Duelz96
    Nov 16, 2019
    0
    Pokémon Shield is absolute trash.
    This game is very much the same as Pokémon sword. I put the game down before the 3rd gym this time. From poor animations to terrible graphics, this completely ruins the atmosphere of the game. Many successful features have been removed. The new content is not the best either.
    This is the worst entry in the Pokémon series by far. Save your money and by a    Pokémon Shield is absolute trash.
    This game is very much the same as Pokémon sword. I put the game down before the 3rd gym this time. From poor animations to terrible graphics, this completely ruins the atmosphere of the game. Many successful features have been removed. The new content is not the best either.
    This is the worst entry in the Pokémon series by far. Save your money and by a game that’s been polished and has actually been made with care.    … Expand
  11. FruitJuicer
    Nov 16, 2019
    5
    !!WARNING!! I HAVE TERRIBLE GRAMMAR I'M DOING MY BEST

    So pokemon sword/shield I wasn't going to buy this game cause of all the lies that came from the pokemon company, gamefreak, creatures inc and Nintendo. Now why do I blame all of them cause they all have hands on the pokemon license and they know how big it is, so why they decided to not put there time and effort in one of there    !!WARNING!! I HAVE TERRIBLE GRAMMAR I'M DOING MY BEST

    So pokemon sword/shield I wasn't going to buy this game cause of all the lies that came from the pokemon company, gamefreak, creatures inc and Nintendo. Now why do I blame all of them cause they all have hands on the pokemon license and they know how big it is, so why they decided to not put there time and effort in one of there biggest IPs, unfortunately I don't know. What I do know is the game is a below average game and doesn't deserve to be sold at 60 bucks. From low resolution textures to frame drops and most agregious the pokemon count has been decreased dramatically and the pokemon models are still the old models from PokemonX/Y. These models aren't even scaled properly. In pokemon Let's Go Pikachu and Eevee all the pokemon were to scale is Sword/Shield they aren't, also you might make the argument that there were just 150 in let's go but there isn't alot of pokemon in Sword/Shield. (I don't know the exact number o haven't beaten the game yet but I know its below half the pokedex) Now the game is fun for what it is I like the wild area idea but it isn't implemented, dinamaxing (I know I didn't spell that right) is a cool idea but Megas were better and you can use then in any battle. It is better then Sun/Moon but that's not saying much. There is alot of dialog but it wasnt as bad as Sun/Moon. The bike just sucks we have all these cool creatures and we can't us them to sure and why do we need to have on that ugly bike suit... its ugly as @#$%. Customizing your character is nice and fun you get a good variety of clothes and makeup up. Its still limited but its better and going into the right direction. They need to stop making making digimonmons and start making pokemonmons. The pokemon in Sword/Shield are okay but I found out that all the pokemon or alot of newer pokemon are humanoids and when you try to picture them in there environment... well you can't... atleast I cant and I now that's probably just me but I feel like they could he better. Gyms are fun but nothing special they were advertising that each game had had different gym leaders that's cool but the gym gimmicks are the same just diffrent color. For example: they showed off the ghost and fighting gyms and said they were exclusive to one of the games but what they didn't say is they were going to copy and paste the mini game you do before you fight the gym leader. The music is shallow and limited beside the gym leader track (witch they play when you fight any gym leader) witch is pretty cool all the music is stock or just boring. The game isn't difficult but I will say please for the love of mewtwo stop forcing us to use the XP share god let us turn it off or have a different difficultly setting please. In conclusion this game is blow average and isn't worth 60 or 40, this is a 20 dollars game. I am enjoying my time with this game but if you are going to charge 60 bucks a game and with the highest grossing game franchise in the world you guys can do better. But I know they won't they don't car about the license or the fans they just want to appease the casual. So that includes my thoughts I know I'm missing some this but you get the picture right? Well enjoy and have a nice day.    … Expand
  12. Jeryr
    Nov 16, 2019
    0
    Not for True Pokemon fans,

    The Dex cut was an insult to most as their favorite Pokemon were excluded, the animation and model has not change since the previous games, Gamefreak made an attempt to lie to us by saying the Pokemon cut was to improve quality but there models and animations are EXACTLY the same as the previous games. It was a amateur attempt on lying and a amateur attempt    Not for True Pokemon fans,

    The Dex cut was an insult to most as their favorite Pokemon were excluded, the animation and model has not change since the previous games, Gamefreak made an attempt to lie to us by saying the Pokemon cut was to improve quality but there models and animations are EXACTLY the same as the previous games.

    It was a amateur attempt on lying and a amateur attempt of making a new game with no innovation, hope they improve the next game even better.

    Refunding/reselling the game after completing it is a good choice as $60 is unjust price for this beta version.    … Expand
  13. hiimdaisy
    Nov 16, 2019
    1
    I don't understand why people's reviews are getting deleted, including my brother's so I'm gonna post it for us both because not even this webpage is worthy of attention now apparently.

    The only positive the game has is that well, it's pokemon, it's kinda fun and chill at the end of the day but this specific iteration suffers from so many steps back it's actually kind of incredible.    I don't understand why people's reviews are getting deleted, including my brother's so I'm gonna post it for us both because not even this webpage is worthy of attention now apparently.

    The only positive the game has is that well, it's pokemon, it's kinda fun and chill at the end of the day but this specific iteration suffers from so many steps back it's actually kind of incredible.

    This game is rushed. Animations are choppy, graphic and texture quality is kind of horrible and there is performance issues everywhere to the point where in cutscenes and multiplayer double battles the docked switch can barely make it to 18fps.
    450+ pokemon got cut and no new models were made in the porting of the rest. Only 80 new pokemon. Uninspired music. A joke of a story that's as shallow as a hollywood influencer. Reused model for Hop from the Alola rival, who already was hated.

    The gameplay is the exact same, but duller. The music choice for many """"tense"""" moments is horrible, non-existent, or the game cuts into it suddenly without any sort of fade-in fade-out. Everything feels rushed.

    The difficulty aspect finishes killing this game off as boring and lackluster. Exp. Share is forced on and the AI is more ridiculous than ever. The game might be for kids but the lack of difficulty options is almost unforgivable at this point. Or multiple save files. Or be allowed to turn exp. share off. Or anything at all. This game holds your hand through the story even more than sun and moon and the permanent tutorial makes it even more linear than before.

    The story is the shortest, the variety the smallest in 17 years, the graphics look 2 or 3 generations old, the battle system is the exact same as always but duller (no megas, no z-moves, -150 moves, dynamax is a very uncompetitive feature if you care about that).
    Lack of innovation, lack of true open-world, wild area being buggy, laggy, lifeless and unvaried, etc. make me have to give this game a 1/10.

    Toby Fox's song gets that 1, otherwise it's just a cashgrab from gamefreak. Awful job.    … Expand
  14. Cosmic06Star
    Nov 16, 2019
    0
    Awful game made by awful developers. This is not a current gen game, this barely qualifies as a PS2 game at best. Don't support this game so that maybe the devs learn and actually decide to put effort into Pokemon.
  15. Anelko
    Nov 16, 2019
    10
    Good game. Better than expectet. I dont need every single pokemon in the game.
  16. lemony
    Nov 16, 2019
    0
    Lying Devs
    Reused animations
    Reused Models
    No Global Trading
    No National Dex

    0/10
  17. memelasjoey
    Nov 16, 2019
    0
    Feels like a 3rd party, unpolished and incomplete game, lacks a lot of content and graphically is severely subpar to the console's capabilities.
    The kind of game that could fit in a smartphone free to play app, but packed in a 60$ box
  18. Zp999
    Nov 16, 2019
    0
    Underwhelming gameplay, terable graphics compared to what game freak was eluding to, unbearable loss of my personal favourites like kingdra, metagross, etc. Not worth a penny out of your pocket...
  19. Gigachad
    Nov 16, 2019
    1
    With a heavy heart I write this review.
    My long time friend, Vargene, has been a fan of Pocket Monsters ever since we were kids. Now, I personally lost interest in this series after Emerald, but my friend enjoyed every single iteration of these games. That is, up until now. Vargene's birthday was coming up and what better gift, or so I thought, than the latest new Pokémon game: Sword and    With a heavy heart I write this review.
    My long time friend, Vargene, has been a fan of Pocket Monsters ever since we were kids. Now, I personally lost interest in this series after Emerald, but my friend enjoyed every single iteration of these games. That is, up until now. Vargene's birthday was coming up and what better gift, or so I thought, than the latest new Pokémon game: Sword and Shield. I bought a copy for both of us, because I wanted to spend some time with my friend since we're both working adults now. At his birthday party, which comprised of him, myself, and his dog, I gave him the games. He was so excited, he had kept himself spoiler free all this time. I brought my Nintendo Switch so we could play together.
    When we started the game, both of us encountered crashes. No problem after a few tries. Once the ball got rolling we were transported to the world of Pokémon, while graphically on the low-end, I didn't mind as long as my friend was happy. We were plagued by the rival and champion character of the game. It was charming at first, but quickly turned to annoyance when the rival and the so called champion halted us in our exploration. Speaking of exploration, we were shocked when we encountered strong Pokémon, but were not allowed to capture them. I brushed away these minor hiccups, and my friend was thoroughly focused on the game. That's when the straw broke the camel's back. Vargene and I looked online to see how to transfer some Pokémon, he expressed horror when we came across information that his favorite Pokémon, the one he raised since we were kids, his Venusaur, could not be transferred. He burst into tears, I couldn't believe it, I thought this game was meant for "long-time veterans". The fact that one of the original starter trio was excluded from the game was unforgivable. I calmed him down and we played the Digimon game that came out on the Switch together instead. Vargene was angry and never wants associate with the Pokémon brand ever again.
    I, of course, returned both our copies. Its tragic that this game had to ruin my friend's birthday party. I strongly dislike this game and only give it a 1 out of pity towards hard-working developers who were no doubt shut down and out while making it.
    Please avoid this game, and brand until they create a worthwhile product.

    Sincerely,
    A Disheartened Customer    … Expand
  20. Charzilla
    Nov 16, 2019
    9
    This game is amazing. Even without every pokemon EVER (BTW) it's still great. For all those reviewing bad because of the cuts, that's horrible. Judge it for what it is, not what it could be.
  21. ResilientFightr
    Nov 16, 2019
    10
    Graphics get a B. Story a B+. Characters a B+ and new pokemon designs an A. The added mechanic of giant pokemon is amazing its like my kaiju childhood fantasy from playing rampage came true with CHARIZARD and TYRANITAR
  22. Longoria21
    Nov 16, 2019
    10
    Pokemon Sword and Shield are the best games in the series, streamlining its most tedious traditions without losing any of the charm.
  23. CuteCatXIII
    Nov 16, 2019
    10
    Best Pokémon yet. A lot of people are upset they removed some Pokémon into Pokémon home comes out but no Pokémon game has had them all. Generally confused but it’s good.
  24. Somonoxide
    Nov 16, 2019
    7
    The wheel hasn’t been reinvented. No giant leap forward.

    However! If your a Pokemon series fan this will satisfy your itch. Wild zone has huge potential for future games. Gyms are back with fun “all be it simple” puzzles. The games still aimed at kids, it always will be.... And tbh how many people actually completed the National Dex anyway.
  25. AliGrispi
    Nov 16, 2019
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Ho appena finito la storia dopo 26 ore di gioco. No. Non ci siamo. Cosa non mi è piaciuto: trovare revitalizzanti, anche nelle fasi iniziali del gioco, in così grande numero lo trovo troppo semplificativo, in generale tutto è semplificato, dalla grafica (con quelle maledette texture in 144p) alla trama che spinge sul farti sentire forte ma sbaglia il modo. Non mi sento forte dopo un combattimento, non mi sento forte a catturare eternatus e soprattutto non mi sento forte a battere il campione. Non ha senso la storia del team yell che ti blocca la strada, non hanno senso le pecore che ti bloccano la strada, non ha senso andare a cercare i tipi della lega che hanno la chiave, non ha senso che la segretaria da un momento all'altro si prenda a male e diventi cattiva. In generale la trama non ha senso. Non c'è post game, dopo 26 non ho altro da fare se non Raid e catturare "i pokemon più forti per il competitivo"? Non voglio giocare competitivo, ho speso 60 euro per un gioco vecchio e che non mi ha lasciato niente se non un vuoto dentro il portafoglio. Questo gioco è un insulto ai videogiocatori e soprattutto ai fan del brand. Vergogna GameFreak. Suggerimento: puntare al sandbox più che ad un possibile "openworld", non c'è bisogno di creare nuovi pokemon ma di migliorare l'esperienza con le risorse che avete già. Spero di poter essere ascoltato.… Expand
  26. EonRonin
    Nov 16, 2019
    1
    Not so good I'm not happy with the game Everything is wrong and the graphics are awful
  27. Jorx
    Nov 16, 2019
    4
    Como ya sabéis este juego no ha estado abstento de polémica desde el pasado E3, en gran parte con razón, y con cada declaración de Masuda más todavía.
    Desde Pokemon XY que no he jugado un juego tan malo de la saga principal. El juego lo he completado en unas 18 horas, una historia que engancha muy poco, predecible y terriblemente llevada en el tramo final pero con una mejora notoria en el    Como ya sabéis este juego no ha estado abstento de polémica desde el pasado E3, en gran parte con razón, y con cada declaración de Masuda más todavía.
    Desde Pokemon XY que no he jugado un juego tan malo de la saga principal. El juego lo he completado en unas 18 horas, una historia que engancha muy poco, predecible y terriblemente llevada en el tramo final pero con una mejora notoria en el transfondo de los personajes.
    El arte del juego es bonito en varias zonas como las minas o el Bosque Lumirintico pero que rápidamente te deja con un mal sabor de boca por culpa del Area Silvestre, la gran novedad de este juego, por ser una zona muy mal trabajada que parece estar a medio hacer, realmente tiene unas texturas terribles y por si fuera poco una absurdez los cambios de clima locos entre sus minizonas. Lo único realmente divertido de aqui son las raids aunque me parece fatal que puedas capturarlos así de fácil, como cierto legendario del juego. La idea y el concepto es muy buena, pero creo que está mal llevado a cabo y espero que en futras entregas lo mejoren.
    No es un juego a la altura de lo que se esperaba, parece más un port de los juegos de 3ds que un juego de Switch. En el E3 se dijo que recortaban la pokedex por el tema de hacer nuevas animaciones. ¿Que es lo que nos encontramos al final? Pues que la gran mayoria de las animaciones y modelos son reciclados de X/YSol/Luna y del campamento son del Pokemon Colossus. Tu rival hace los mismos gestos que Haul, el rival de Sol y Luna. Personalmente, me parece bien que hagan un corte de la pokedex si sirve para hacer un mejor juego con nuevas mecanicas, etc. Ahora, creo que después con una actualización añadiendo el resto se puede solucionar porque si no, Pokemon Home no tiene absolutamente nada de sentido.

    La curva de dificultad no es muy buena que digamos, el juego empieza bien ya que tardas casi dos horas para llegar al primer gimnasio pero a partir de ahí es todo como una carrera al tener solo 10 rutas muy cortas y gimnasios, entrenadores y liga muy poco desafiante. Otro punto más en el que Game Freak ha mentido, a medias, al decir que estos juegos están más pensados para los veteranos ya que en la parte que si que cumplen es a la hora del competitivo.
    La parte más trabajada y positiva para mí es la mencionada anteriormente, el competitivo, en este juego se nota que han hecho un gran esfuerzo por mejorar este ambito y que hace que a pesar de lo malo que es tener la pokedex recortada, esta todo bastante equilibrado.<
    Otra parte positiva del juego es que la banda sonora es genial, sobre todo en los gimnasios al enfrentarte a los lideres que parece que el público este coreandolo.    … Expand
  28. 360barrier
    Nov 16, 2019
    1
    Awful graphics, awful controls, awful camera and bad theme. This is a pretty mediocre release in every way. Graphics are like welcome to five years ago. Were they blindfolded when making the camera? Main character is boring. Hopefully this is the last game in the series.
  29. Minishfrank
    Nov 16, 2019
    10
    Looks pretty great, all big a colorful! Also, this game is SO fun & the soundtrack is AWESOME.
  30. GDarch
    Nov 16, 2019
    0
    I’m disappointed : no national pokedex, poor animations, gamefreak lied to us.
  31. Therealepinn
    Nov 16, 2019
    9
    It gets rid of all the tedious things like swarming random Pokemon in tall grass or caves which allows you to focus on your journey. Love the new features, truly a warm turn for a classic while still leaving the backbone intact
  32. ThatOneGuy14
    Nov 16, 2019
    1
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I was super hyped for this game and i couldent bring my chums over because i found out about #BringbackNationalDex until release day, i felt the game was too easy. Its ok to hand hold but not for the whole game.… Expand
  33. cecedo
    Nov 16, 2019
    0
    The worst game ver, dont buy this. Nada animations, bad dec, this isnt worth the money, so dont waste it
  34. Arutina
    Nov 16, 2019
    10
    Having played this game for 15~hours i can definitely say that this game is not anywhere near as bad as the reviewbombs of people that have not bought the game make it out to be. Try it for yourself and then make an opinion.
  35. gabrielpina4
    Nov 16, 2019
    2
    Just played 5 hrs of pokemon shield and i can honestly say this the worst pokemon in the entire series i alittle pissed i spent my money on the double pack :( will be returning the game today. Hopefully bestbuy will take it back and refund me the full price graphically it looks like n64 definitely no generational leap the story is not great there's no voice acting houses inside doesn'tJust played 5 hrs of pokemon shield and i can honestly say this the worst pokemon in the entire series i alittle pissed i spent my money on the double pack :( will be returning the game today. Hopefully bestbuy will take it back and refund me the full price graphically it looks like n64 definitely no generational leap the story is not great there's no voice acting houses inside doesn't match the outside in one house it looks like 4 people living there yet only one bedroom???? Everyone has a mom but no dad?? Where the dad?? There's just so many thing wrong that it would take me forever to list everything but will be making a YouTube video on this soon!!… Expand
  36. Yourebiasedasfk
    Nov 16, 2019
    8
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. The game is a solid pokemon game. The people complaining are just spoiled brats. The game doesn't have everything we expected but its fun. 8/10… Expand
  37. SangDuhBeast
    Nov 16, 2019
    0
    This game is an unfinished game, GameFreak did not take the Switch to it full advantage.
    Lagging frame rate Nintendo 64 graphic
    “High (LOW) quality animation”
    Image standing still
    no back ground for Pkm battle
    Wrong Pkm battle back ground Non expressive Pokémon
    The game look like it could run on a 3DS
  38. IkanaDXX
    Nov 16, 2019
    10
    It is a great change from a portable console to an on-table console and gf did it wonderfully
  39. FelipeSilv
    Nov 15, 2019
    1
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Limited game, with an excuse of performance and graphics improvements that never happened. Several bugs in Wild Area. Worst difficulty system ever made in the franchise. The national pokédex cut was just a detail after all.… Expand
  40. 1000fps
    Nov 16, 2019
    10
    This is the best Pokémon game that has ever been released. This is the Pokémon game of our hopes and dreams.
  41. QueenWolfen
    Nov 16, 2019
    0
    The whole things is just messy, incomplete, and disappointing. This game was a lazy rush job, and it shows.
  42. YoKrawzer
    Nov 16, 2019
    0
    I'll don't even bother to explain all the fails in this game, the national Pokedex most be in every main game of this franchise but what kills this game is the awful development decisions.
  43. eKorn
    Nov 16, 2019
    0
    Super short game, extremely easy, filled with bugs, no National Pokedex, No HM/TM, reused textured, poor render distances, reused models, no shines, permanent exp share and lots and lots of features removed from the previous games.
  44. KrawzerOn
    Nov 16, 2019
    0
    Primero que nada es una traición al concepto de la saga al no tener todos los Pokémon disponibles en el juego para atrapar o transferir de anteriores entregas, el desgano y prisa de los desarrolladores está patente en el pésimo apartado técnico, una lástima que teniendo tan buena música, dirección artística y diseños de nuevos Pokémo no hayan logrado una buena sinergía entre todos estosPrimero que nada es una traición al concepto de la saga al no tener todos los Pokémon disponibles en el juego para atrapar o transferir de anteriores entregas, el desgano y prisa de los desarrolladores está patente en el pésimo apartado técnico, una lástima que teniendo tan buena música, dirección artística y diseños de nuevos Pokémo no hayan logrado una buena sinergía entre todos estos elementos, el área silvestre tiene el peor apartado técnico visto en un juego de Switch, de lejos el peor juego de la saga principal.… Expand
  45. Namt
    Nov 16, 2019
    2
    Sorry, i really dont want to write a bad review, but i really have no choice i guess. This game is really bad and the developers didnt give any effort to program their game, its a shame. the animations are bad and reused over the years (from 2013 pokemon xy still the same animation), the graphics are not that good compared to newer switch games (hi nintendo 64 tree), a lot of bugs , a lotSorry, i really dont want to write a bad review, but i really have no choice i guess. This game is really bad and the developers didnt give any effort to program their game, its a shame. the animations are bad and reused over the years (from 2013 pokemon xy still the same animation), the graphics are not that good compared to newer switch games (hi nintendo 64 tree), a lot of bugs , a lot of pokemon got cut without any reason. they lied to their fans, they told they would cut the pokemon to create better animation , but where are they? if they didnt improve them, then what reason could they have to cut the pokemon? yeah its just laziness and greed after money. the worst pokemon game so far, and the reviews from sites like ign are a big problem, which lets me think they bought sites like ign to get a good review to lie to their fans again. they dont listen to their fans and only do what they want, why couldnt they just make this game 1 year longer to create something better? this game is a mess, i cant describe it really . just watch the videos on youtube, please dont buy this game and teach them a lesson! they cant do this any longer and get away with it, or do you want all pokemon games be like this? if no, then dont buy this! and also, they cut a lot of attacks and other stuff, and again, without any reason.… Expand
  46. OmegaChase1002
    Nov 16, 2019
    0
    Just buy Digimon Story Cyber Sleuth Complete Edition, EvoCreo, Temtem, or Yokai Watch instead.
    WHAT the H-E DOUBLE HOCKEY STICK was Gamefreak THINKING!?
    No National Dex, bugs everywhere, cut moves, horrible animations (despite Masuda claiming they would be the best in the series), hand-holding EASY difficulty since we're unable to turn the EXP share off anymore, free full heals literally    Just buy Digimon Story Cyber Sleuth Complete Edition, EvoCreo, Temtem, or Yokai Watch instead.
    WHAT the H-E DOUBLE HOCKEY STICK was Gamefreak THINKING!?
    No National Dex, bugs everywhere, cut moves, horrible animations (despite Masuda claiming they would be the best in the series), hand-holding EASY difficulty since we're unable to turn the EXP share off anymore, free full heals literally everywhere even when not in a Pokémon Center, abysmally short campaign, almost no postgame, a rival who is literally just Hau 2 (right down to his animations), a Champion with an unlikeable egotistical personality, obvious gen 1 pandering, a bug that can actually erase the save data of all your other games saved on your Switch, and a whole host of other problems.
    Stick to the older games from gens 1 to 7. This game is the death of Pokémon.    … Expand
  47. Deivi
    Nov 16, 2019
    3
    Tiempo atrás se dijo que era para fans veteranos, que recortarían la pokedex para hacer las cosas desde 0 y tanta chingadera.
    El juego tiene malos gráficos, es sumamente fácil, reutiliza elementos, animaciones de combates paupérrimas y para ser un salto generacional esta terrible 3/10
  48. ElFiloEro
    Nov 16, 2019
    1
    Well, I don't have anything to say about this game.. just is terrible only that. Not kill me
  49. bawk
    Nov 16, 2019
    9
    The new Pokemon games are very vibrant & beautiful and it is a welcome update from the 3DS outlined 3D style that we've had for the past six years or so. The Gym Challenges in massive arenas and Dynamaxing make gym matches feel very epic. Every new route I enter has loads of throwback Pokemon from other regions without flooding out the new additions to the series. Wild Pokemon interactThe new Pokemon games are very vibrant & beautiful and it is a welcome update from the 3DS outlined 3D style that we've had for the past six years or so. The Gym Challenges in massive arenas and Dynamaxing make gym matches feel very epic. Every new route I enter has loads of throwback Pokemon from other regions without flooding out the new additions to the series. Wild Pokemon interact with you in the overworld, whether positive or negative. Gentle/friendly Pokemon will walk right up to you happily to say hello while aggressive types will spot you & chase you down for a battle immediately. It makes the world feel more immersive.

    Tons of new attack animations were added in for many Pokemon, though some attack animations are still fairly basic and old. It's still a huge step up from last gen.

    In the first 5 hours of play, I just spent my time exploring each route and seeing what every Pokemon was available & caught everything I could. If you take your time and enjoy the game then I can see this adventure taking many hours. No need to rush! This is a great first time game for younger players as things start out pretty simple & the challenges are easy at the beginning. Overall the game has been a lot of fun so far and I am looking forward to leveling up my team and completing the remainder of the game!

    I do suggest taking all of the negative reviews with a grain of salt. Many of these people do not own the game or haven't played it yet & are just basing their reviews off of hacked game streams and other things that other players are doing. I have not lagged a single time yet in hours of gameplay in handheld mode, characters popping in and out of the zone is few & far between and barely noticeable. Graphically nothing really stands out bad looking. I haven't encountered a single 'glitch' or error. Autosave hasn't messed up my Switch save files. Just wanted to give my perspective as someone that owns the game.    … Expand
  50. Romeo94
    Nov 16, 2019
    9
    Other than some minor graphical issues and slow downs. THIS POKÉMON IS EXCELLENT! Don’t listen to 0-3 scores on here. The game comes back to the basic Pokémon mechanics and does it even better. Amazing additions to make the gameplay smoother and less tedious. Love the addition of Dynamax as well as a lot of trainers and new Pokémon to catch within the first 2 hours of the game. Also theOther than some minor graphical issues and slow downs. THIS POKÉMON IS EXCELLENT! Don’t listen to 0-3 scores on here. The game comes back to the basic Pokémon mechanics and does it even better. Amazing additions to make the gameplay smoother and less tedious. Love the addition of Dynamax as well as a lot of trainers and new Pokémon to catch within the first 2 hours of the game. Also the fact that random trainers have potions and such is a nice touch. The game is a tad more difficult (even though it does still hold your hand) but it gives some surprises and honestly I have enjoyed the first 4 hours ALOT !… Expand
  51. pmcnichols
    Nov 16, 2019
    0
    It **** sucks, devoid of content. What's the point in buying Pokemon anymore?
  52. hieroglyphs91
    Nov 16, 2019
    8
    No me parece un juego de 10, pero en cuanto a lo que es el juego en sí, para mi es un 8.

    Me gustan los gráficos, me gusta el concepto de juego y me gustan las innovaciones que han hecho (Area Silvestre, Dinamax...). No entiendo tantos 0... Puede tener cosas que no te gusten, pero ni mucho menos tener un 0. Metacritic debería tomar cartas en el asunto, porque si no este sistema de    No me parece un juego de 10, pero en cuanto a lo que es el juego en sí, para mi es un 8.

    Me gustan los gráficos, me gusta el concepto de juego y me gustan las innovaciones que han hecho (Area Silvestre, Dinamax...).

    No entiendo tantos 0... Puede tener cosas que no te gusten, pero ni mucho menos tener un 0. Metacritic debería tomar cartas en el asunto, porque si no este sistema de votación no tiene sentido.    … Expand
  53. joangb
    Nov 16, 2019
    8
    Con sinceridad, estos juegos no se merecen esto. Los nuevos juegos de la saga de Pokémon significan un gran salto y atrevimiento, siendo los primeros de la saga principal en llegar a Switch.
    Y como estreno en la híbrida, me parece un juego notable. Obviamente tiene sus puntos negativos, como son algún que otro gráfico en el area silvestre, la obligación de llevar el Rep. Exp., el recorte    Con sinceridad, estos juegos no se merecen esto. Los nuevos juegos de la saga de Pokémon significan un gran salto y atrevimiento, siendo los primeros de la saga principal en llegar a Switch.
    Y como estreno en la híbrida, me parece un juego notable. Obviamente tiene sus puntos negativos, como son algún que otro gráfico en el area silvestre, la obligación de llevar el Rep. Exp., el recorte en la dex; pero no es para nada el descontento que está marcando la gente. La banda sonora es muy buena, el mapa es bastante grande aunque de una falsa sensación de ser pequeño, la dificultad está siendo floja pero la sensación de exploración está siendo muy fresca. Es un juego de Pokémon en sobremesa, como todos pedíamos antes de ser tan exigentes después del recorte de la dex...    … Expand
  54. yeehawjunction
    Nov 16, 2019
    9
    The game has some graphical issues, but overall a super enjoyable experience. I love all the customization options! Pokemon camp and the wild area are super fun as well! In terms of enjoyment, i love this a lot more than the 3DS games. I hope the lag and graphic issues will be addressed in later games
  55. ImGroOk
    Nov 16, 2019
    10
    It's so fun and good, I really like all about it, pokemon always walking, custom of characters, wild area difficulty amazing, scenes. Better no listen to stubborn haters that they no even tried the game or buy it but their pride won't accept this game is so good
  56. victornp
    Nov 16, 2019
    0
    O jogo não explora o potencial do Switch, sendo reutilizado engines de jogos anteriores
  57. Noxx_
    Nov 16, 2019
    2
    La mayoria de las cosas que decian son ciertas se nota el poco esfuerzo y trabajo...teniendo a la switch como consola a trabajar es una decepcion lo que hicieron...el problema es que la gente se conforma muy facilmente hay que ser mas exigentes como consumidores
  58. DiscoToot
    Nov 16, 2019
    7
    An honest review for the common player, bias aside. If you’ve already played through the entirety of Pokemon Sword/Shield, you had the time on your hands and that’s cool. Personally, I have not played through. I don’t doubt the most popular disdain; a considerably short story and post-game, lackluster character diversity and dynamax features. But I want to point out some review pointsAn honest review for the common player, bias aside. If you’ve already played through the entirety of Pokemon Sword/Shield, you had the time on your hands and that’s cool. Personally, I have not played through. I don’t doubt the most popular disdain; a considerably short story and post-game, lackluster character diversity and dynamax features. But I want to point out some review points you’re going to read that are more than likely the fault of bias and nostalgia. - Wild areas don’t lack the richness players claim. The wild area is a new concept. It’s not supposed to be the open field in Breath of the Wild. The mechanics of the wild areas are exciting and challenging. Seeing your wild opponent before entering battle changes how you’re gonna play the game, for the better. It makes it more fun to train, without all of the running away from Zubats so you can battle a Graveller. Much easier and fun to hunt down a Pokemon with a certain nature or ability. - Graphically, the game is just taking flight. The first true 3D Pokemon rendition since Colosseum/XD, this game fulfills the wishes those games dreamed of. While maybe underdeveloped, it’s not ugly or underhwelming. There were no textures and objects to operate from, aside from X/Y/Sun/Moon monster designs. This is the first modern rendition of Pokemon in 3D, it serves in its flashy and expressive gloat. - As for the story, I can’t speak to that. I have not completed the game. BUT. Sun and Moon earned the worst story award. If you don’t tout through the game gingerly, you’re doing yourself a disservice. Pokemon in the context of Shield/Sword is meant to be played more like the pace of a slice of life game. In summation, you will enjoy this game if you like to take your time but not if you like to play through competitively and fast. If you want a fulfilling Pokemon experience instead of a jam-packed Pomemon experience, you’ll enjoy this game.… Expand
  59. Harrison17
    Nov 16, 2019
    2
    Un juego incompleto, lleno de bugs y con demasiadas precariedades. Se nota que no le pusieron ningún tipo de empeñó o ganas
  60. Br4n
    Nov 16, 2019
    10
    El apartado artístico es increíble de principio a fin, además el juego cumple su cometido de ser entretenido.
  61. Alanmaster
    Nov 16, 2019
    0
    Corte de pokedex jogo porco sem mega mega sem pokemons suficientes e qualidade porca tudo nesse jogo é ruin
  62. TheOnlyShape
    Nov 16, 2019
    0
    Played about 45 minutes, blindlessly A button pressed through pointless/badly animated cutscenes and hand holding opening battles and realized that it's the same old garbage that's been repackaged and resold for the past 20+ years.

    Honestly, if you play through the first hpur tou'll immediately understand. Took it back to Gamestop under their 48 hour full refund policy and exchanged it    Played about 45 minutes, blindlessly A button pressed through pointless/badly animated cutscenes and hand holding opening battles and realized that it's the same old garbage that's been repackaged and resold for the past 20+ years.

    Honestly, if you play through the first hpur tou'll immediately understand.
    Took it back to Gamestop under their 48 hour full refund policy and exchanged it for a game that hopefully won't treat me like a braindead child.

    0/10 Pokemon is **** dead    … Expand
  63. Rilian218
    Nov 16, 2019
    0
    I wanted to love the game and have tried to justify and defend the changes amidst all the controversy. This happened in Gen 3 too right? It’ll all get better, this game will prove the haters wrong! But after finally getting that shiny gold steel book double edition...I feel like a fool. Playing through I can’t help but feel like this was a game started for the 3DS and then partiallyI wanted to love the game and have tried to justify and defend the changes amidst all the controversy. This happened in Gen 3 too right? It’ll all get better, this game will prove the haters wrong! But after finally getting that shiny gold steel book double edition...I feel like a fool. Playing through I can’t help but feel like this was a game started for the 3DS and then partially scrapped to hastily make it a “Switch” title. All the heart of the game was left on the cutting room floor. There are hints at what could have been an amazing game and there’s beauty to be found here and there. But I can’t help but regret supporting GameFreak and the Pokémon Company with my money. After playing for a little while, I realized that for all of the people saying “You can’t judge it until you played it” and praising the game...they probably haven’t played it either. I can’t imagine they could play this and not feel as empty inside as the wild area is. If you haven’t already bought the game, or if you were planning to buy this for a loved one, I can’t recommend it. If you do and you have fun that’s great! But this really feels like the end of an era of Pokémon games that created fantastic memories and journeys with friends, both Pokémon and those we make in real life.… Expand
  64. Pardner
    Nov 16, 2019
    6
    Very disappointed. While many issues have already been pointed out, there are a few major ones that few, at least from what ive seen, have pointed out.
    1. The handholding. Everyone hates hand holding, from kids to adults alike. Unfortunately, Hop, the "rival" is literally everywhere and won't let you take a few steps before he needlessly tells you what you already know. There's hand    Very disappointed. While many issues have already been pointed out, there are a few major ones that few, at least from what ive seen, have pointed out.
    1. The handholding. Everyone hates hand holding, from kids to adults alike. Unfortunately, Hop, the "rival" is literally everywhere and won't let you take a few steps before he needlessly tells you what you already know. There's hand holding everywhere. We aren't idiots. The handholding makes us feel like one, however, and it very quickly makes you hate Hop. 2. The lack of challenge. This game is incredibly easy. The EXP share is always turned on, so your Pokemon are usually overleveled. Along with that, there's zero puzzles or dungeons. The old games had plenty, and completing these made you feel accomplished. There's none of that here. Without challenge, are you truly playing am JRPG? Challenge is what makes Pokemon games fun. So no challenges or puzzles really hits hard here.
    3. Shiny locked and gigantamax locked Pokemon. Unfortunately, there are shiny locked Pokemon again. This time, it's not only legendary Pokemon, but gift Pokemon as well. Keeping shiny Pokemon locked behind events doesn't feel like you earned it. There cheap grabs. It's insulting. Not only that, but you can't just give the gigantmax trait to any Pokemon. You have to catch them. This means any Pokemon you have been with for a long time cannot gigantamax. You must replace them if you want a gigiantamax version of your Pokemon, even shiny versions. This feels cheap to me.
    4. Lack of new Pokemon animations. While Gamefreak did have to create new textures and tweaks to the wireframes, it doesn't excuse about how they lied about new animations. While the moves are wonderful to look at, the Pokemon themselves aren't wildly animated like this. It's all the same. It seems the animation budget went towards moves and not Pokemon. Now that all the moves have new animations, hopefully the Pokemon themselves will get more animated in the next games.
    5. Non Scaled Pokemon. I gripe I have is that Pokemon aren't properly sized in battle and in the campsite. Pokemon that should be massive are the size of the player. An example of this is tyranitar. Hes proper size in the overworld, but he's absolutely short in battle and the campsite. Same is true for the third legendary. Absolutely giant in cutscenes and in the overworld, but it's the size of a charizard in battle and the campsite. It makes no sense.
    6. Mediocre wild area textures. The textures in the wild area are awful compared to the rest of the game. Unfortunately, the wild area is a large part of the game, so you can't escape it. The trees look like they came from the 64 era, the grass looks like it was smothered on, the water looks a bit glossy and doesn't even have water ripple around swimming Pokemon, it's just bad.

    All in all, Pokemon Sword (and shield) is a mediocre Pokemon game. It feels like this should have come out on the 3ds. It just isn't as good as it should have been. I mean, it's a decent game, but it's not a great game. Hopefully with the reported longer development time for future titles, we can get the Pokemon game that truly earns the title of #1.    … Expand
  65. Rochter
    Nov 16, 2019
    1
    Bought, both, and I would had forgiven the Animation errors, and framedrops if they actually worked more on them rather than just using it as an excuse or token of exchange for cut content.

    Not only that, but, i payed 50 bucks to get my save data wiped out... And a lot of games dont support online cloud saves.... Thanks a lot...
  66. Tkm7
    Nov 16, 2019
    0
    Barebones. Would have been a decent 3DS game. No post game, bad graphics. Some of the new Pokémon have promise, but it’s just so, so disappointkng
  67. Zara_Masters
    Nov 16, 2019
    0
    This game is so unbelievably bad, Not just compared to previous Pokemon games, not just compared to previous RPGs, just in general.

    There is barely anything I can possibly compliment, uhh there are a few cute Pokemon? Like every previous game, except they removed 50% of all Pokemon including the cute ones. This game has also been the cause of multiple Switch based glitches. So if you    This game is so unbelievably bad, Not just compared to previous Pokemon games, not just compared to previous RPGs, just in general.

    There is barely anything I can possibly compliment, uhh there are a few cute Pokemon? Like every previous game, except they removed 50% of all Pokemon including the cute ones.

    This game has also been the cause of multiple Switch based glitches. So if you are looking for a Christmas gift, consider a classic Pokemon game? Or just any other RPG.    … Expand
  68. poxotaf266
    Nov 16, 2019
    0
    The people giving it a 10 can't even give 3 reasons why they like the game. It is the worst installment of the franchise:
    - removed 450 pokemon
    - removed 130 moves - removed key features - fewer than 100 new pokemon - linear region - only 10 routes - no dungeons - reused models - reused textures - reused animations - reused music - short playtime - short postgame - boring    The people giving it a 10 can't even give 3 reasons why they like the game. It is the worst installment of the franchise:
    - removed 450 pokemon
    - removed 130 moves
    - removed key features
    - fewer than 100 new pokemon
    - linear region
    - only 10 routes
    - no dungeons
    - reused models
    - reused textures
    - reused animations
    - reused music
    - short playtime
    - short postgame
    - boring story
    - handholding
    - low difficulty
    - buggy
    - unpolished
    - lazy
    - rushed
    - no cohesion
    - potentially console-breaking (NAND issues are legit according to experts)    … Expand
  69. DanDonato
    Nov 16, 2019
    10
    Best Pokémon game ever made.
    It’s just magical to be able to play my favourite portable franchise in a console for the first time.
    The game it’s stunningly beautiful, the Galar region is awesome, the new Pokémon are incredible well-designed. One of the best games on the already awesome Nintendo Switch library. The people review bombing this game dont even have a Switch.    Best Pokémon game ever made.
    It’s just magical to be able to play my favourite portable franchise in a console for the first time.
    The game it’s stunningly beautiful, the Galar region is awesome, the new Pokémon are incredible well-designed.
    One of the best games on the already awesome Nintendo Switch library.
    The people review bombing this game dont even have a Switch.

    #ThankYouGameFreak    … Expand
  70. gamerhero
    Nov 16, 2019
    1
    Creo que no se merece mas de 1 por el poco trabajo y respeto a los usuarios de la serie... teniendo en el año juegos como gears5, death stranding, sekir y resident evil 2, nintendo nos viene a vender este juego de hace dos o mas generaciones a precio de los anteriores. Un timo por cualquier lado que lo vean y sobre todo que te lo vende doble a precio full. Cuando no inova em ni un solo aspecto
  71. Nesz
    Nov 16, 2019
    0
    Diseños reutilizados, muchas promesas vacías y tenían mejores diseños los ataques de pokemon stadium
  72. merkstw
    Nov 16, 2019
    0
    Short game, crap, I didn't like it at all. I finished it in 3 hours. Not recommended at all, please buy another game.
  73. Fready
    Nov 16, 2019
    10
    Mal endlich was neues mit relativ guter Grafik.
    Bis jetzt finde ich es einfach nur super.
    Auch wenn manchmal die Auflösung im Handheld modus niedrig ist.
    Das Design ist in manchen Punkten vielleicht nicht für jeden was, aber schlecht auf kein Fall.
  74. AntonicoG
    Nov 16, 2019
    0
    Only 400 Pokémon, like Pokémok Diamond of 13 years ago. And this sacrifice for a bad experience.
  75. carreracarrera
    Nov 16, 2019
    1
    Le pongo un 1por que el juego no inova en nada...graficamente nos quieren dar el mismo atole con el dedo como si de have dos generaciones se tratara. Los personajes en pelea ni tienen movimientos acordes a nuestro tiempo y las batallas siguen igual de dodas
  76. Elgordogaren
    Nov 16, 2019
    9
    Un poco infantil aveces, la variedad es muy amplia para armar estrategias y las animaciones son muy buenas.
  77. JReiMan
    Nov 16, 2019
    8
    Some minor lags here and there (sometimes Wild Zone is horrible, maybe server based) but a good Pokemon experience is definitely there! I still have a lot of fun after 15 hours of gameplay. Got what I wanted :)
  78. Mudd137
    Nov 16, 2019
    10
    The game is everything I wanted and more. I understand why some people are disappointed in the roster but overall it's a great game. Keep on doing great for the fans gamefreak
  79. dmolken
    Nov 16, 2019
    0
    These games are extremely bare bones and rushed. These games almost look like a direct port of a 3DS game. They cut over 50% of the Pokemon, deleted over 100 old moves, and charge 50% more money ($60 vs $40) than the 3DS Pokemon games. On top of that, Game Freak said that they needed to cut 50% of the Pokemon in order to make high quality models and animations for the Pokemon. I'd be okayThese games are extremely bare bones and rushed. These games almost look like a direct port of a 3DS game. They cut over 50% of the Pokemon, deleted over 100 old moves, and charge 50% more money ($60 vs $40) than the 3DS Pokemon games. On top of that, Game Freak said that they needed to cut 50% of the Pokemon in order to make high quality models and animations for the Pokemon. I'd be okay with that if it wasn't for the fact that they lied, and they actually are using 3DS models and animations. Because they are using the 3DS models, there is no reason why they should be cutting over 50% of the Pokemon. Do not support a developer that lies to you. Boycott this game.… Expand
  80. Duffy45
    Nov 16, 2019
    10
    Very good game, i dont know why people critic this game so much, its actually very good
  81. Metalcritico
    Nov 16, 2019
    10
    Excelente muchas horas de juego como siempre en las sagas de pokemon!
    Super adictivo!!
  82. RODREZA
    Nov 16, 2019
    1
    Its a game with a lot of bad textures and it lacks all the things that makes pokemon good, so disgusted
  83. FabioGarcia
    Nov 16, 2019
    0
    The worst Pokémon ever. PSX graphics (the cutscenes are disgusting). Very easy. GF removed a loooooot of Pokémon from the ND. It seems an PSX game with a lot of limitations. REALLY GF? We wait for this game for decades and you give us this SH?
  84. billythorton198
    Nov 16, 2019
    0
    Half the pokemon missing means these games arent worth anything, and the fact that they lose to their fans
  85. NatsuDracarys
    Nov 16, 2019
    9
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. For me it is the best pokemon ao far. Maybe it could be more polish but not something that made me lost my attention on the story.… Expand
  86. Owiec92
    Nov 16, 2019
    8
    Don't listen the crybabies bombing this game with negative reviews. Game is really fun, looks good, and is great for new players
  87. awdwaffges
    Nov 16, 2019
    0
    Cut corners mixed with a predictable story, laziness and stupid features noone asked for. Don't spend any amount of money on this. Even if you get it for free, don't play it because your time is more **** valuable than anything this piece of garbage could provide you.
  88. Nova_Cis22
    Nov 16, 2019
    10
    It's not the best pokemon but I think is a good game.
  89. Pengin
    Nov 16, 2019
    2
    Pros:
    -It's Pokemon (People buy it for the cute characters and game-play formula)
    -Some improvements to mechanics (removing the worst part of the grinding is indeed not bad) -Graphics are better (Because it's not on a 3DS) Cons: -Albeit graphics being improved, don't expect anything close to Zelda or Xenoblade. This game is made for getting a passing mark from the average child,    Pros:
    -It's Pokemon (People buy it for the cute characters and game-play formula)
    -Some improvements to mechanics (removing the worst part of the grinding is indeed not bad)
    -Graphics are better (Because it's not on a 3DS)

    Cons:
    -Albeit graphics being improved, don't expect anything close to Zelda or Xenoblade. This game is made for getting a passing mark from the average child, -not- to entertain you.
    -This is probably the easiest Pokemon game, and you are forced to have EXP share enabled. Regardless of how much you skip, you'll out-level everything, and Pokemon that you don't even use will always keep up.
    -The national Dex is gone.
    -The franchise doesn't put emphasis on exploration anymore.
    -Attack animations & Pokemon idle animations, are entirely copy-paste from previous games.

    The Pokemon franchise is huge and Game Freak is a decently big company with about 150 employees. This game was supposed to be compared to Zelda, but in terms of both graphics and game-play, these two games are leagues apart. People expected a Pokemon game shortly after the switch release, but Game Freak chose to 'work more on it', yet somehow they manage to deliver what feels like a half finished game. Copying old animations, and reskinning the 3DS models, is by no means something bad, but in the light of Game Freaks statements as to why the national-Dex is gone, it's evident this game was never meant to deliver anything more than the minimum of what could be called a main-series Pokemon game. If this wasn't a Pokemon game, people would probably say "this game has promise" rather than "this game is good", and that might very well be Game Freaks saving grace. They should make a proper game next time, and then this might be forgotten as a transitional game, rather than a main series game.

    A final note: Game-play wise, the Pokemon series is showing change that may or may not make old time Pokemon fans like me quit the games. Since X&Y, the games has put less emphasis on exploration and combat. Today, neither should be a reason to buy the game, since decisions in combat are largely irrelevant, and there isn't much to explore. At least the issues with combat could easily be circumvented by adding a difficulty setting.    … Expand
  90. falloutcoyote
    Nov 16, 2019
    3
    Overall feels like a rush job by a half-rate studio, not one of Nintendo's flagship titles. The game is weirdly buggy, looks bland and recycled and just...overall lacks content. For the little bit of content that is there, since I can't import a lot of my favorite Pokemon from previous titles I can't even get the usual replayability I would out of the game.

    I have tried to keep positive    Overall feels like a rush job by a half-rate studio, not one of Nintendo's flagship titles. The game is weirdly buggy, looks bland and recycled and just...overall lacks content. For the little bit of content that is there, since I can't import a lot of my favorite Pokemon from previous titles I can't even get the usual replayability I would out of the game.

    I have tried to keep positive during all the online hate and had high hopes all the way up to launch since Gamefreak said they would use that extra time from the cut content to add new animations and polish the game, but this is basically a rehashed 3DS game (and a bad one at that) with a higher price tag, half the content and the worst gimmicks yet (looking at you Gigantamax/Dynamax/Raids). For how well Nintendo's been doing with the Switch and its flagship titles so far, this is a confusing inexplicable mess and the first game in awhile that just doesn't feel like its worth the money.    … Expand
  91. Mutthear
    Nov 16, 2019
    0
    Big disappointment! Just cut most important features and made the journey bland
  92. CLJgamer
    Nov 16, 2019
    0
    #GameFreakLied
    Total descaso com os fans, Pokedex super capada, jogo ficou muito mais casual, reutilização de modelagem 3D, gráficos meh, Pokemons novos péssimos (tudo bem q eles se perderam em alola). Não vale nem ferrando os R$300 gastos.
  93. Mega-N
    Nov 16, 2019
    1
    This game sucks low content, re-use animations from 3ds, lazy desings, bugs, and The post game has been ruined and The ñrice is still on 60$ thanks gamefreak for being line ea
  94. MrMonster420
    Nov 16, 2019
    8
    Pokemon Shield has been one of the best experiences with a Pokemon game I have had in a long time. The DeX cut does not bother me. The graphics are good and acceptable for a Pokemon game meant to be played on a console and television. The best part about this game is the wild area! The second greatest thing about this game is the stadium battles. It's a real surreal feeling listening toPokemon Shield has been one of the best experiences with a Pokemon game I have had in a long time. The DeX cut does not bother me. The graphics are good and acceptable for a Pokemon game meant to be played on a console and television. The best part about this game is the wild area! The second greatest thing about this game is the stadium battles. It's a real surreal feeling listening to the crowd cheer when you call out moves and your Pokemon land a critical hit. It's an amazing feeling .… Expand
  95. jthm4013
    Nov 16, 2019
    10
    Best looking pokemon game i have ever seen, wish they would of given voice audio to the characters, other than that the game is amazing.
  96. Micky97
    Nov 16, 2019
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Bellissimo gioco. Dura di più di un Pokemon normale per via dell' openworld in cui cambia il tempo e dei raid. Mi piacciono i personaggi e anche molti nuovi Pokemon. Avrei preferito delle evoluzioni degli starter più fighe, ma comunque il gioco è bellissimo in sé.… Expand
  97. Xkayz
    Nov 16, 2019
    1
    Game feels rushed, incomplete, and limited. Animations often make no sense. Little to no post-game content.
  98. Aulina
    Nov 16, 2019
    0
    Where my bulbasaur is!!?

    Per amore del brand mi rifiuto di giocare questo capitolo.
  99. abaddon169
    Nov 16, 2019
    0
    Querían disminuir la pokedex para balancear el competitivo y terminan agregando un pokemon con estadísticas totalmente rotas, animaciones de combate que en un juego de wii se miraban bien, que en switch se mueven rígidamente
  100. Guerreroo
    Nov 16, 2019
    0
    Hate the new Pokemon design they look like zootopia characters, the worst Pokemon so far.
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Awards & Rankings

76
#76 Best Switch Game of 2019
3
#3 Most Discussed Switch Game of 2019

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
80

Generally favorable reviews - based on 89 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 69 out of 89
  2. Mixed: 20 out of 89
  3. Negative: 0 out of 89
  1. Nintendo Force Magazine
    Apr 30, 2020
    90
    Sword & Shield have a lot to love for old and new fans, and they're pure quality from top to bottom. [Issue #44 – January/February 2020, p. 72]
  2. GameCritics
    Feb 6, 2020
    75
    I enjoyed my time with Pokemon Sword and Shield, but I ended feeling conflicted. I appreciate many of the changes and felt that it generally respected my time, but I almost felt like a passive participant. The more complex gym challenges had a meatier role, but the narrative shouldn’t have been shoved to the side. Overall, I would recommend it to players who want to have a Pokemon experience, but this one won’t stick with me the way the older ones have.
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  3. Game World Navigator Magazine
    Jan 14, 2020
    78
    Pokemon Sword/Shield is uncharacteristically user-friendly: now there’s no need to backtrack half across the world to heal your entire team of pokemon or to get to a particular city, for example. [Issue#242, p.66]
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